Q. EchoStar's Dish Network will add seven national HDTV channels in August. Do you see them adding more this year? -- Tommy J.
Interestingly, EchoStar CEO Charlie Ergen said a few months ago that EchoStar would add roughly six more high-def channels this year. However, the satcaster this week announced that seven more are coming in mid-August to early September. And it said even more HD channels will be announced in mid-September.
EchoStar says it's launching new satellites next year to expand its high-def capacity but apparently it's found some room on its existing birds.
Of course, I'm not surprised. With DIRECTV expected to add dozens of high-def channels in September, EchoStar is under great pressure to expand its HD lineup as well, although it currently has more than three times the number of HD channels as DIRECTV. (32 to 10). But the perception is that DIRECTV will be the high-def King in September so EchoStar must counter than with their own series of announcements.
Q. What's the big deal with The Astronaut Farmer being on cable HD On Demand and DVD at the same time. I've never even heard of the movie until now! -- Bobby B.
The Astronaut Farmer, which stars Billy Bob Thornton, made about $12 million at the box office, which isn't much by today's standards.
But Warner Bros' decision to release the film on cable HD VOD on the same day it's released on DVD is a big deal because it means that bigger titles could get the "same day" treatment in the future. And that could change the way we watch movies in the future.
Comcast COO Steve Burke has recently speculated that blockbuster theatrical films may one day premiere on cable VOD the same day they debut in the theater. How The Astronaut Farmer does after being released on cable and DVD on the same day could accelerate that effort.
Q. Anything new with the Washington Nationals and Baltimore Orioles being in HDTV? -- Sam P.
No, nothing new. MASN, the regional sports channel that carries the two baseball teams, still does not have a High Definition channel. So it would have to make a deal with someone who does, which would require money. And Peter Angelos, the Orioles owner who also owns MASN, is not big on spending money if he can avoid it.
By the way, the Nats, the O's and the Kansas City Royals are the only three MLB teams that are not broadcast locally in high-def.
Q. Will DIRECTV carry the NFL Sunday Ticket games this year in high-def? -- Susie R.
Yes, the satcaster will carry every game that's broadcast in high-def by Fox and CBS, which should be roughly 13 games a week. However, DIRECTV is charging an extra $99 for the high-def broadcasts. That's in addition to the NFL Sunday Ticket package fee.
Q. Samsung just put out a new Blu-ray player in April and now I read they're coming out with another one? What gives? -- Aaron P.
The new model (BDP-1400) will support the latest audio connections such as "Dolby True HD" and will have a built-in Ethernet port. But I'm with you. Unless the new player is considerably less expensive than the one launched in April (BDP-1200) for $599, consumers will yawn. High-def owners will buy these HDTV players when the prices are lower; not when they support Dolby True HD.
CNET reports that the BDP-1400 will be priced at $550, which is $50 more than Sony's standalone Blu-ray player. That won't cut it. (Another new Samsung Blu-ray player will be even more expensive than that.)
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